The 1988 Montgomery Wards, Norge built washer

Washing an 11 lb load of clothes in the Monkey Wards (Norge) "18 lb" washing machine! Watch thru to the end, I demo the nearly instant tub brake!

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

whew...late reply. I agree! Thats why I do believe that the Speed Queens are the best NEW unit on the market. Good roll over and less stressful on clothes. They dont handle large loads like the old school Kenmores though. IMHO! lol

[@Channel-cm7yc]

New machines they ain’t new at all My family’s been buying them since they were wringer washers and their automatic washers since the 1950’s built by MaGraw Edison and after 1980 then Raytheon and now Alliance laundry systems Plus they’re a commercial company that’s been building them for laundromat use for well over half a century they sell to the public and always have. Ain’t nothing new about the speed queen brand!

[@marcusmarkus3266]

Awesome roll over and burpee lint filter... and it holds a lot of clothes... they don't make them like this anymore

[@patcola7335]

I took our Norge for granted when we had one. Didn't realize it then but if I could have one now I would take one.

[@mattb4127]

I had the same washer for 10 years. Served my family well. I did have to replace the motor due to bad internal bearings but it was an easy job. I kinda miss her watch this video. I like the older laundry units. Currently have a 2000 Whirlpool washer and a 1998 Kenmore dryer. Thanks for posting this. It brought back some good memories.

[@Tahoe069]

My grandma Rosa had a Norge like this one I remember the sound it made. It lasted a long time until she bought a new one I remember seeing it in the yard I wish I would of got it and restored it but I was too young .

[@kagome122885]

WOW! That tub brake stops the wash basket instantly. That's even quicker than Speed Queen, who still uses a tub brake in their top loaders.

[@Bunkysworkshop]

WOW 😳. I would love to see this thing in person one day. What a machine

[@YourLocalFireAlarmTech]

Very nice! HE Machines can't beat old washers.

[@marcusmarkus3266]

awesome rollover.. Norge was one of the best washers ever!!

[@MrSpyfelis]

Other brands that made the 20 pound capacity washers with the "Burp-o-later" agitator were Maytag, Crosley,and possibly Hoover, and Admiral.

[@revvinkev]

Are you sure about this or are you just guessing? I'd think the "Burp-o-later" was unique to Norge and the Montgomery Wards brand. I'm pretty sure Maytag (specifically) or Crosley and Admiral never had the "Burp-o-later".

[@MrSpyfelis]

Kevin B I went on the appliance parts pros website, and found out that they did.

[@patcola7335]

This is like our old Fedders made Norge we had in the 70s. partial neutral drain and spin. What a loud washer ours was but it could clean like nothing else. They were REAL washers. What was cool about these washers was the agitators base was real wide as you can see and if you chose a low water level...it was actually low...not filling half the tub. Just covering the agitator base from what I remember. I have a Speed Queen now, but if I could get a hold of one of these Magic Chef/Norge machines in good condition I would jump on it in a minute.

[@doctorfeinstone6524]

maytag absorbed norge sometime in the late 80's or early 90's when they bought magic chef who was norge's owner by then

[@allyn788]

We had the same or similar model...I remember the peculiar agitator with it's round lint trap...they must have different ways of dealing with lint now because the newer models don't seem to feature lint traps.

[@shenue]

That is almost identical to the one I had back then. Mine had the 'instant' tub break too if you would lift the lid during a spin. However when my machine 'put on the breaks' like that, mine made a fairly loud ... hmmm well like a 'clanking' sound. Kind of like a bang. So you'd open the lid during a spin and hear the bang and the washer would stop spinning within a split second. My prvious washer stopped slowly when the lid was lifted during a spin. There was no breaking system on it.

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

LOL. It is a nice unit though. It has a nice capacity. I think that the old school dual action agitating Kenmores are the best but they are sometimes brutal on clothes. However the roll over is amazing. My grandmother has one and my clothes are SO clean when i wash there.

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

I dont know about 20 lbs... This is about the roll over i would like to see for this machine

[@TSquared2001]

What's the one that came after this one? I remember my aunt having one where the tub was white and plastic, and with a waterfall during the wash cycle and there was no quick brake or that squirting. Also with the agitation, the tub would make a complete turn. Actually my grandma (RIP) had this one.

[@socksumi]

The agitator throws water because large fins are located too close to the top.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

Built by Maycor a division of Maytag by this time.. Maytag Performa, Magic Chief, Admiral, and of course Norge etc etc utilizing some of the design elements of Norge, but drive wise pretty much Maytag in setup. A lot of bang for the buck these machines were. Changes were made along the way of course!

[@revvinkev]

Sorry buddy, you are WRONG! This machine is 100% a Norge design and there is NOTHING "Maytag" about design, the drive system, transmission, drain pump, brake system, etc.

[@petermaz701]

+Kevin B I agree 100%

[@MrSpyfelis]

did you know that Hoover also made the 20 pound capacity washers?

[@revvinkev]

Hoover made a 20 capacity washer?? Never sold in the US, I'm sure. What years was it sold? Front load or top load?

[@MrSpyfelis]

Kevin B They were sold in the U.S. They started producing them around 1986 until 1999 or 2000, Then Maytag changed them.

[@revvinkev]

So it was a rebadged Norge built machine then?? Never heard of it.

[@MrSpyfelis]

Kevin B Yep

[@MrSpyfelis]

Kevin B You can make an automatic washer post and ask the members if they have seen the Hoover 20 pound capacity washers